


Follow My Melody

by romanee



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dance, Emotions, Gavin Free-centric, M/M, Slow Build, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-20 05:35:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13140144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/romanee/pseuds/romanee
Summary: I'm so into you, I can barely breatheAnd all I wanna do is to fall in deepBut close ain't close enough 'til we cross the line, hey, yeahSo name a game to play, and I'll roll the dice, hey





	Follow My Melody

**Author's Note:**

> Y’all I did it!;v; its probably not that great near the end and b/c I wanted to this out by the 25th there's going to be one more chapter! I feel like there are a number of things that could’ve been better but ahhh enough feeling meh I’m proud of myself;v; and I can't wait to try and get the 2nd chapter out before the 1st :^) my last goal of the year! 
> 
> I’ve read though it multiple times till the end making sure there aren’t any glaring mistakes, but let me know if you see something I’ve missed and I’ll fix it as soon as I can ;o;/ 
> 
> Now, the closest thing to taking dance classes that I’ve done is cheerleading yrs ago, so don’t mind if this is… inaccurate in some way to how an actual hip hop type class may be and ofc I made things so they work in my favor. 
> 
> I took a lot of inspiration from these videos (I’ll mention them in the end) and they are what I have in mind for the main dances that are referenced! But I hope y'all enjoy! <3 
> 
> The title is named after the song: [Follow My Melody by Animus Volt](https://open.spotify.com/track/5V0AHKGlhdKmv2FShcgXG9) !  
> (summary: lyrics from Into You by Ariana Grande)
> 
> Merry Christmas!! <3

Everything about this was out of Gavin's comfort zone. He didn’t go out of his way to do things like this ever, yet here he was; regretting letting Lindsay and Michael – it was all Lindsay really, Michael spent a majority of the night laughing his ass off picturing Gavin doing anything coordinated with his body – convince him this was something he needed in his life. After the initial talking to Lindsay gave him about everything it ended up taking him a total of twenty-four hours to build up the courage to even go to the website to find where the damn place was. On top of that, it took him an additional week to make the calls he needed in order to be put in a class, not to mention the payment options he was given. At least, it was a big class separated into smaller groups, but even with that in the back of his mind he was terrified of being singled out for God knows what reason.  

A deep base brought Gavin back to the here and now. 

Shuffling from side-to-side knuckles white around the strap of his bag, Gavin took a deep breath counted backward for ten while pushing the doors open sticking to the wall as best he could. Watching the group of people in the room moving and twisting their bodies taking direction for the instructor in front of them. Gavin swallowed, heart racing at the prospect that in a few minutes this group would be finishing up and his group would be taking their place. However, a quick glance around the room showed a number of people were there as well, watching and waiting alongside him. A few looked excited, jumping in place shaking their limbs out and stretching as a smaller number of people looked as nervous as he felt. 

"Alright guys, once more and we're calling it a day!" Their instructor Chad called out. 

Gavin was doing his best to not collapse then and there at the thought alone of being able to go home and rest his tired body. Looking at his reflection in the mirror they were dancing in front of made he want to hurl; he had seen better days that's for sure. 

Seeing the instructor being as cheerful as he was after hours of so much movement left Gavin flabbergasted, but he appreciated it. The whole class did by the looks of it; he was glad he wasn’t the only one who looked completely ruined. 

He was still catching his breath when the song they'd been dancing to started up again and everyone took their places.  

 

* * *

Spotting Michael and Lindsay at their usual spot, Gavin sloshed his way over to them dropping into a seat beside Lindsay, groaning as a form of hello. Adjusting his head in order to talk to them he froze when he realized they were staring at him in different levels of amusement. 

"Doing okay, buddy? You look like shit." Lindsay as sweet as ever in her wording reached over and pat him on the back. "How you liking those dance classes by the way?! Figure that's the reason you look so... like this!" She sounded genuinely interested and he looked back and forth at her to Michael. 

"Fun?" He wasn’t sure why he made it sound like a question; he was having fun, more so than he thought he would.   

Lindsay laughed as Michael kicked his shin under the table throwing his hands up almost sending his food to the floor. 

At the same time, they said: 

"Why do you sound so confused?!" 

"Glad you're having fun!"

For whatever reason, it was this little interaction, that made Gavin want to convince the two they needed to join him in these dance classes at least once. He wasn’t sure how he'd manage, but he wanted it to happen. 

 

* * *

     

Hurrying up the stairs, Gavin jumped two at time heart racing with excitement for today's agenda. If you told him two months ago he'd be rushing to get to a dance class because he was having a good time and was making new friends he would have looked at you weird while laughing and saying something snarky. Yet, here he was, excited to hear the song they'd be dancing to. 

It was a class a little bit different from what they've been doing the last four months in that instead of being separate classes of around twenty each, all three groups would be practicing and performing together. Gavin didn’t doubt that Chad would be able to handle them all, no, he was more worried about how he'd deal with the added pressure of having more eyes watching him... that is, if he was confident enough to put himself out there to be part of one of the groups showing off today's routine. Which he didn't doubt he'd be a part of if a certain someone had anything to say about it.  

Pushing the doors open, he looked around for certain faces while saying hellos to those he recognized from either his group or the one before his. Even though he'd been attending these classes for two months now, he still tended to keep to himself; deciding to stick to the one friend he made an effort to hang out with, outside of this little dance bubble of theirs.  

Spotting the two he was looking for he scurried over to them dropping his bag and himself to the floor wasting no time in copying them in the stretches they were doing. 

"Turney, Jenkins." 

Meg Turney and Ashley Jenkins were his first friends he made because of the classes. While this wasn’t the first time Meg had ever taken dance classes, it was Ashley's. Meg had told him she was out of practice and figured it could be some good couples bonding thing she and Ashley did together, but in the end, they ended up in different groups. Even with the little mishap things weren't terrible since they tended to have little dance off's in their own time to see who was the better dancer at whatever routine they'd learned. If Gavin were being honest, he found it quite adorable they turned what was meant as a couple's thing into a little competition. 

But it wasn’t all bad since Ashley had not only signed herself up for the classes but a friend-coworker who she at least had with her in her group. Gavin hadn't met this friend-coworker, but he wished whoever they were, luck, because if Ashley was anything like how Meg was to him – being excited and making sure he didn’t get too into his own head causing him to giving up – then whoever her friend was needed all the luck they could get.     

As people continued to file in, Gavin and the girls chatted while helping each other with their stretches when Gavin noticed there were more kids and teens around then he remembered. Voicing his confusing Ashley answered him after looking around and smiling. 

"Yeah, pretty sure my group has the most youngsters in it, but don’t let them fool you! They're good." She gave him a pointed look before going back to looking around the room again and must have found someone of great importance. She jumped up and took off in a light jog. Yelling back to them about being right back. 

"What's all that about?" 

Meg smiled, "Ryan." 

Ah, the friend-coworker. 

He nodded and glanced over his shoulder trying to get a peek of anything, but minutes later Ashley was not light jogging her way back, but jumping up and down, tugging someone along with her and when they both were standing beside Meg and him, Gavin felt his heart jump up into his throat.

_What in the..._

Gavin stared. Brow pinched and mouth hanging open a little bit. It was Meg who spoke and jolted him back to: you're in public cool it mode. Gavin was still touching the tips of this shoes when Meg leaned her weight on his back, her elbow digging into his back. 

"Hey Rye, thought you said you were "too busy" to show up today!"

He couldn’t bring himself to shove her off, so he twisted his head to the side looking upwards as much as his head would allow. Watching from his peripherals as Ryan crossed his arms over his chest which would have distracted him if it wasn’t for the pout on the other man's face, bloody hell. Gavin was at a loss at everything he was a witness to in this moment in time. Was it even happening? Did he somehow get teleported to another dimension where attractive people were all around him – he'd be the first to admit Meg and Ashley were lovely ladies. How could someone who looked like that be able to pull off a pout and look, look adorable as all hell?! 

Whatever conversation taking place between the three was all but lost on him. One minute there's a pout, a smile then laughing; all ending with Ryan joining them in their little spot. He hadn't even said anything yet. But as soon as he thought that, Meg, bless her heart, wrapped her arm around his shoulder. 

"Oh, this guy here is Gavin! We're in the same group and end up dancing together when split off into pairs or more! Gav, this is Ryan!"

Now a much softer smile was directed at him and Lord, save him. Gavin lifted his arm giving an awkward wave followed by a quiet hey, followed by an awkward smile. Wonderful.   

He was right screwed; not only did he have an attractive dance instructor he'd been crushing on since day one, but now he had to deal with this! Sure, things would go back to normal after today with the groups and classes, but he didn’t trust the looks Meg and Ashley were sharing with each other. They were up to something and while it might work out in the end, the time between then and now was a free for all he wasn’t looking forward to for his health's sake. 

Each group got a good thirty minutes having Chad to themselves as he went over every step making sure everyone was on the same page before shuffling the next group into place while those who've already learned the steps practiced amongst themselves or observed the groups still learning. Between sharing whispers with Meg, Ashley, and Ryan, it was helpful watching Chad go over it with group one to get an understand of what they needed to do before tackling the movements himself. Since the dance was shorter but faster paced than anything they've done until now, Gavin was glad he had time to get used to the beat and memorize the timing of each movement. 

It didn’t make it any less of a difficult dance for him, but not stressing about it too much was a weight off his shoulders.  

When his group was deemed taught, group three moved into place and Meg squeezed his arm, excited to watch her girlfriend. Gavin laughed at her eagerness, he felt the same though, but towards Ryan. Couldn't blame him for being curious about how a guy like Ryan would fair dancing like this. 

"He totally doesn’t seem like the type to move or have rhythm and believe me he started off that way, but I've been sticking around watching them dance after our practices since day one to see Ash and let me tell you." She looked up at him squeezing his arm tighter. "He's learned."    

He hummed, looking back towards where Ashley had pulled Ryan along beside her near the far left in the front. Gavin knew he was blatantly checking Ryan out, but it was fine. Meg was his only witness that mattered. The music started up and the section of the song they danced to hit and they moved and wow, okay. He could move. Alright. This was fine. He was fine. Everything was fine! 

Beside him, Meg had to cover her mouth to quiet her laughter, "Man, you've got it bad, huh. And here I thought your crush on Chad was impressive as hell." Fighting a smile, he shoved her.

"Shut it, Turney." 

 

Once each group had the dance down, the fun began and Gavin was floored by how amazing it was to watch others giving it their all and seeing how people from other groups deferred from his. It was to be expected each individual person would have their own twist or personal flavor they added to the routine, but nothing anyone could have told him would have prepared him for how exhilarating it was. The raw energy spilling from every body's movements, every playful smirk tossed around made him feel like he could go on for hours. He wanted to spend more time in the building with all these new and familiar faces until his body refused to move anymore.   

Surrounded by nothing but positivity was doing a number on him and he couldn't be more grateful in a moment of chaos he wormed away to his bag and dug out his phone sending his thanks to Lindsay. He was stashing his phone away when the song was nearing its end; hurrying back he found Ashley smiling hugging both Ryan and Meg close and once she spotted him she grabbed him and squished him between herself and Ryan. He would have squeaked out an apology to Ryan for bumping into him, even though it was out of his control, if it wasn’t for the irruption of everyone laughing and cheering as the current pair finished up the dance and spun each other around making way for anyone else who wanted to take the center stage and show off.

He'd yet to go and Gavin was more than content to continue watching or dancing with everyone as a whole, but one look in Meg's direction and he knew. Before he could reach for Meg's hand, however, Ryan leaned in closer, and he knew it was Ryan because Ashley was fawning over Meg and wasn’t nearly this bulky.   

"Ashley and Meg talk a lot about you, something about you being a pretty good dancer?" Gavin couldn’t see Ryan's face but boy could Gavin hear the smirk that had to be on his face. And despite his heart moving from his chest to his stomach his words couldn't have come out smoother.  

 "Well shite, guess I've gotta reputation to keep up!" He faked exasperation, hand over his chest like Ryan's words had struck him as he turned to face him. And they did, but no way was Gavin letting Ryan know. Banter like this had never sounded this perfect coming from him.

He walked toward the center of the room his eyes never leaving Ryan's, but he saw Meg follow after him, excited. He shared a smile and a fist bump with her and the music started.

It was like he and Meg were in a far-off world where it was the two of them dancing; the cheering from the others in the room drowned down to a dull buzz in his ears. In no time the dance was over and he was still coming back down from the high when arms wrapped around him as the hollering from the room was like an explosion in his ears. Gavin was so caught up in it all the tiny thought of the girls talking about him to Ryan slipped his mind completely.      

 

* * *

After the first class with everyone, the rest of the year seemed like everything was moving in slow motion when he was at work. Gavin still loved his job of filming and photographing, but it dragged on until he was able to meet up with Meg and Ashley to head to dance class. He'd even managed to somehow rope in Lindsay to sign herself and Michael up for the next year when classes started again. Michael fought tooth and nail, but Lindsay worked her magic and got him to agree; Gavin knew they'd get put into a different class, but the thought of sharing something with the two of his long-time friends filled him with such joy he didn’t know where to begin. 

"Wouldn’t it be cool if you brought your camera and stuff and filmed us dancing?" 

Gavin looked at Meg from and stared at her for a long moment.  

"I could... ask Chad?"  

She smiled, hopping up offering a hand to pull him with her, "Awesome! Could even make it all nice a pretty to give to him as a thank you!" She nudged him and winked.  

"Ha ha ha." Gavin was sure she was joking, but it was something he'd do it. As long as Chad said he could and others agreed they were okay with being filmed. 

But in reality, the seed was planted and with it in the forefront of his mind, Gavin moved on autopilot while his mind was elsewhere. He'd never considered combining his love for cinematography with his new-found love of dance; the more he thought about it the more appealing it seemed.   

Instead of heading home he stuck around with Meg and watched Ashley and Ryan's group. They didn’t talk much; Meg transfixed on watching the groups while he wasn’t paying too much attention to anything, he was too busy thinking of which of his video cameras would be the best for bringing with next time if he got the okay. When the time came for everyone to head out and home, the four of them stuck around until they were more or less the last ones in the room with Chad – Ryan was held against his will from leaving and Ashley was just as confused but followed along with him and Meg. 

Now, besides his early on mini panic attacks and his first initial meetings with Chad, Gavin didn’t talk to him much – not including the hellos and goodbyes they shared every class - there wasn’t much time for casual chatting. To say this was a big moment for him was an understatement and before he knew it he was stumbling his way through asking if it was okay if he could bring his camera in some time. Beside him, he heard Ashley gasp then make a noise of excitement. 

"I mean, only if it's okay with you! And people who don’t want to be filmed can sit out or stand out of frame!" 

For a moment he thought Chad would dismiss the idea without a second thought, but as he watched Chad's eyes pretty much shimmering, Gavin knew things would work out.      

"Sounds like it could be a lot of fun for sure! I'll bring it up tomorrow and since the first class is earlier in the morning I'll let them know they can stop by in the later classes if they want to!" 

After hashing out the details they headed out to the parking garage; Gavin would've been content calling for a ride, but the girls refused, saying something about wanting to talk more in detail about what kind of work he did and if they could hire him for a thing. 

Waving goodbye to Ryan as the split and went their separate ways, Gavin found himself sandwiched between his friends, looping their arms with his he signed. 

"Whatever you're going to say, I'm denying it now." 

"Denial is a bad look on you, just accept your hardcore crushes and let us help you for real. I've been saying lots of nice things about you to Ryan I'll have you know!" He knew Ashley was teasing him, but it didn’t stop his cheeks from warming.

"This filming thing will boost you in Chad's books as well!" He glanced at Meg in time to see her wink at him. 

Gavin scoffed, "Please, I'm one face he sees on a daily basis along with dozens of others, I'm nothing special." He turned to Ashley, "And with Ryan, God... why would he be interested in someone like me? I'm sure he's plenty popular at work." 

The two leaned forward and shared a look with each other before Meg spoke first. 

"First off, I spend a lot of time around the building; y'know, getting their early and staying late to watch Ash. I see how Chad looks at everyone and let me tell you Free, he looks happy when you engage in a conversation with him." Gavin opened his mouth but she held her finger up. "It may be simple hellos, but I can tell it makes him happy. After all those breakdowns he helped you through, I'm sure, he's attached and wants what's best for you. I almost feel bad for taking his place once I decided on being your best friend." 

Great, he felt bad for Gavin, that meant nothing! He was about to voice his disappointment that Meg was wrong, but Ashley spoke before he could open his mouth. 

"And don't even get me started with Rye. This whole dancing thing is the least boring thing he does in his free time; work is always on the brain with him so to see him having a good time is amazing in of itself! And Gavin, I don't know if you know this, but you're not a bad looking guy, you shouldn’t be so hard on yourself." She squeezed his arm and leaned against him. "Rye looks at you in a way that makes him seem human; the most noticeable looks being fondness and lust," Gavin choked on his spit but Ashley kept going like nothing happened, "two things I'd never thought I'd see. Thought he was a workaholic machine till he laid his eyes on you."

A part of Gavin wanted to feel hopeful, but his fear beat it down. They were trying to make him feel better, and he had another bigger problem. He didn’t want to choose.

Gavin wanted them both and he felt selfish for wanting.  

They walked the rest of the way to the car in silence and when they got in and started driving towards his apartment complex he reached over tapping Ashley on the shoulder, holding his hand out and when she took it he squeezed it. He did the same with Meg when they were at a stoplight. 

"I'm scared. I want them both and it scares me."   

       

* * *

 

As Gavin closed his apartment door he pressed his forehead against the wood and stood in the silence for ages before composing himself and stripping out of his clothing, leaving a trail, as he made his way to his bedroom and buried himself under blankets and sheets. 

Gavin wasn’t sure how he was supposed to feel.

Well, not entirely, at least. He knew he felt something and what he felt was okay to feel. However, it didn’t stop him from feeling bad. What he wasn't sure about was how he should go about things; or if it was better if he pushed his feelings aside and continued living each day crushing on and daydreaming about what could be with both Chad and Ryan. If he didn’t say anything, then nothing could go wrong and inevitably blow up in his face, but even as the thought crossed his mind he knew it was a no go. He had Meg and Ashley involved and those two wouldn’t let him, in their words: mess up something that could be life change in the most wonderful way.    

Sometimes he appreciated Meg and Ashley doing their best at trying to be wingmen in subtle ways; other times he wished he kept his damn mouth shut and didn’t blabber to them about anything and everything when it came to his feelings. God, he hadn't even told Michael and Lindsay he'd developed a fondness for not one person, but two. And he told them everything. 

Gavin sighed and pulled his pillow out from under him and screamed into it. What a right mess.  

He didn’t have any experience in this department; in the time he's spent on this earth never has he wanted to date two people more. When he signed up for this dance thing he expected to learn dance, of course, and get out of his shell. And things would've worked out that way if he had a less outgoing instructor. 

Yes, he was going to place the blame on someone else for him feeling like a love-sick fool.

Since his first meeting with Chad, Gavin's felt a pull; the early signs of a crush he was well acquainted with growing up. Feelings he hasn’t had to deal with since the day work became the only love he needed. The difference here being it wasn’t a fleeting thing like when seeing an attractive stranger walking by in a store never to be seen again. No, every day after work at the same time for the same amount of time for eleven months, Gavin got to see Chad. He saw what kind of person he was; turning Gavin's attraction from being superficial to loving everything that made the person who stood in front of a room full of people and taught them dances.       

Even though Chads time was taken the whole time being the one teaching and all; he still made an effort to make sure no one was struggling or falling behind. 

In the beginning, Gavin may or may not have fallen into the category of those struggling and while it had been embarrassing as hell bumping into someone else or stepping on toes, no one got mad at him. Most others went so far as to make sure he was okay and well balanced before going back to their own headspace. Meg had been the one person out of the whole class to come back and make sure he was doing okay – he couldn’t expect Chad to be there all the time, he had plenty to worry about already – even though the first time they interacted consisted of him stumbling into her one day from tripping over himself. After that, she'd pretty much attached herself to him and proclaimed them to be best friends. It was the start of a lovely friendship he wouldn’t trade for the world.

But before Meg, Chad seemed more than happy lending a hand and gentle words of encouragement as well as reassurance when Gavin was having off days - which were pretty often at the start. The first time Chad found him huddled in one of the corners shoulders shaking and his head on his knees he hadn't said anything to Gavin; he simply sat down next to him and comforted him. Telling him he was going to rub his back before he did; telling him there was no rush and no one was expecting him to be amazing right off the bat. It wasn't until he'd get home and he'd feel shame wash over him. He was a grown ass man getting comforted by another grown ass man over a silly thing like dancing! 

But it had been nice and there were no words to describe how thankful he was for Chad in those moments. He knew those were genuine moments, but it was hard to push those thoughts from earlier away: that Chad felt pity of some kind towards him and he was, in reality, a burden waiting his time.

Gripping his pillow, he clung to it like it was his lifeline. He was barely scratching the surface with his feelings too. One layer belonging to Chad and the other, Ryan. 

Even thinking about the other man made his face warm; as much as he'd like to think Ashley was telling the truth – she had no reason to lie to him... well except to make him feel better, but she wasn’t the type to do something like that – Gavin's brain could not accept that Ryan, lovely Ryan, was attracted to him in any shape or form. Even if it was true, if he thought hard enough to try and picture them together he saw his scrawny self and that was as far as his imagination got. What he could picture though, was Ryan and Chad together... without him. 

Backpedaling his thoughts right quick, Gavin rolled out of his blankets, running his hands along the sheets trying to find his phone before he remembered they were still in his trousers which were somewhere in his apartment. Groaning he rolled himself back up into a burrito and thought about his relationship with Ryan.  

The main difference between Gavin's interactions with Chad and Ryan being that he actually got to see Ryan more often than he'd thought when he first met him. Since he spent his free time with Meg which in turn meant Ashley and when she could, she'd drag Ryan along with them on little outings. Saying he needed a better social life even if it meant he was with three other people. He wouldn’t go so far as to call them close friends, but well-acquainted acquaintances. 

And Gavin didn’t like talking about himself so when Ryan asked about his work he downplayed it; it flustered him knowing that someone was hanging onto his every word when he talked about cinematography. He wanted to get the attention off himself as soon as possible, but Ryan kept asking questions, so, Gavin told him as much as he could before he was able to turn the tables and get Ryan to tell him about his job. And the way, he lit up when talking about how much he did enjoy what he did with computers, Gavin could've listened to him talk for eons. 

Thinking of the conversations he'd shared with his little friend's group made his heartache. He wanted to have similar conversations with Chad as well; include him into their dumb shenanigans after classes. 

He'd think himself to death if he kept this up. With a final sigh, Gavin closed his eyes and did his damnedest to let sleep take him. 

 

* * *

 

When Gavin woke up next, the sun was high in the sky and dread fill every ounce of his being as he tore through his apartment in search of his trousers tearing through them to find his phone to see ten missed calls from his client he was supposed to have seen three hours ago and five from Michael who was upset with him for bailing on him the night before which Gavin was now remembering and he felt terrible. 

As he started to send off messages of reassurance to his client and apology after apology to Michael that he'd make it up to his boi, water filled his eyes and he wiped them away before they could leave his eyes. No way was he going to start crying now he didn’t have the time, if they'd still have him he had a job to get ready for and he didn’t need his eyes rubbed raw.     

Hopping into the shower, Gavin went through the routine faster than ever; hopping back out in no time. 

Tugging on a nice button up he made for his phone again and felt a weight lifted off his shoulders; he still had a job for the day and Michael was making him promise to make time for him and Lindsay later in the week. He would've cried with relief, but finished getting dressed instead, he had time to cry later... maybe. Gathering his things and placed them into his backpack and phoned a ride to come get him.

* * *

Shuffling out of the car he composed himself and let his client know he was there. 

Over the years, Gavin had worked with plenty of different types of people and in today's case, animals. He was sure the reason why they'd been as understanding as they were being because they're dog had no problem in waiting for someone to show up and take their picture. 

After a couple hours, Gavin left the couple and their fur baby, promising to have the final edited versions sent to them soon.

When he looked down at his phone to call a ride to take him back home he noticed the time and groaned, he had twenty minutes till his class started and it would take those twenty minutes to get to where the studio was. He didn’t have a change of clothes on his, but he didn’t want to risk being late, after all, today he'd be setting up to film the class and set aside time for himself to dance as well. Once his ride showed, he told them his new destination and soon he was off. He sent Meg a few messages, but when he didn’t get a reply back he figured she was already there getting warmed up.

By the time he stepped into the room the class had already started and everyone was following Chad's lead listening as he counted out and demonstrated each movement. It didn’t matter how quiet he tried to be, everyone could still see his reflection in the mirror as he settled in the back and started pulling his camera out setting things up for the video feature. 

Busy making sure he had everything set how he liked he missed when someone crouched in front of him; when they reached out and touched his shoulder he jumped almost tossing his camera in the air. 

"Sorry! Didn’t mean to startle you." Chad rubbed the back of his neck, looking at the camera Gavin now had clutched close to his chest.

"'S'fine, wasn’t your fault." They sat there for a moment looking at one another before Gavin cleared his throat. 

"Sorry, I'm late... I've had a late start, had a work thing to take care of that ran later than normal and... yeah... sorry." He trailed off wanting to look anywhere else, but Chad's smile kept him looking at him. 

"Don't worry about. Here," he stood up and held his hand out to Gavin, "everyone's pretty much got it down and don't need me, I'll teach you the dance and then you can join up with everyone!" 

Gavin stared at the offered hand slowly taking it and letting himself be pulled up, "This is all I've got on me... not the best thing to move around it." 

And like an angel called from the heavens, Meg appeared beside him and held her bag out to him, "I've got you covered!"

There were plenty of things Gavin never expected to do in his lifetime and time and time again he'd somehow end up doing those exact things, but wearing leggings and a crop top were two things that he was sure he'd never have to wear, yet here he was, and there were those damn clothes on his body. It would have been a blow to his self-confidence if it wasn’t for the rest of the class hooting and hollering when he made his way back into the main studio. And when Chad came up to him – there was no doubting that he was flat out checking him out – Gavin wrapped his arm around his waist laughing a broken awkward type of laugh. 

"So... how about we start then?" 

Once we grew more comfortable with his middle being exposed and having trousers that clung to him on, everything carried on as normal. Or as normal as they could be, Meg nudged him at every chance she got when she noticed Chad's eyes lingering on him longer than anyone else and she needed him to know this. Hissing at him 'see!' Every time Chad would look away when he noticed Gavin noticing him looking at him. 

It was a time indeed and instead of feeling like he was being made fun of he felt good. Plus, the leggings were beyond comfy; he'd have to invest in his own pair after this.                             

The class had another hour left before the last of the day when Chad came up to him and asked if he had everything set up for filming. Gavin nodded and gathered his things up while Chad got the classes attention and explained how things would work, reminding them to only be in the circle if they were fine with being filmed. Once things were organized and set up, Gavin stood in front of the mirror and hit record. Any extra bits he could cut out later. 

In the beginning, everyone had seemed excited but now that things were happening, Gavin could see the nerves popping up, but like always, Meg came in saying she'd do a solo first. 

Chad started the music and Gavin had no real interest in shooting music videos, but as soon as Meg started moving and making eye contact with the camera, he knew he was adding a bit more experience to his skills as a cinematographer. As the dance went on, Gavin followed Meg's every move making sure she was in frame. As the section came to an end cheers erupted around the room and soon enough more people were excited to stand before him. And at the very end Chad decided he'd be the closing act for their class; keeping his jitters under control for once, Gavin did the same as he did when he started and followed Chad's body as he went all out, adding, even more, moves near the end of the song that was his own personal touch. 

As things wrapped up and the next class started making their way in, people came up to him telling him they couldn't wait to see the final product. 

Gavin was gathering his things up to go back and change into his button-up and jeans when a long drawn out whistle startled him. He spun around, eyes wide and he froze. Ryan and Ashley were standing side-by-side with Meg standing to the side hands out toward Gavin like she was showing him off. 

"Damn Gav, leggings are for sure something you need to add to your wardrobe!" 

Gavin would have answered Ashley back, but he was too focused on Ryan eyeing him and a little voice in the back of his mind told him: 

 _Maybe Meg and Ash are onto something with Chad and Ryan liking me..._    

This time when Gavin positioned himself in front of the new group, he was dressed in what he'd showed up in and like before people seemed hesitant to offer themselves up. However, unlike before, Chad offered to go first and soon he was followed by Meg and when they started they were in near perfect unison. Gavin couldn’t wait to put this thing together, but first, he needed more to work with. And since he considered himself well enough friends with Ashley he called her out, she'd been so excited before and now she'd yet to step foot in the center stage. Of course, she didn't disappoint; giving it her all by herself and she made sillier facial expressions at the camera and it was perfect.

The only one he didn’t get to film that day was Ryan and by the smug look on his face he was more than content with his decision and it frustrated the hell out of Gavin. 

When they called it a day, Gavin backed his things up and promised Meg he'd wash her clothes and return them in exchange that she tells him where her leggings came from cause damn. As per usual, their little group started to leave together, but as he was saying bye to Chad a slightly selfish idea came to mind and his brain to mouth filter was failing him. 

He spun back around to face Chad, "Hey, I was wondering... if there are any days where you're free, would it be alright if we used the studio? Of course, that extends to you, wouldn’t want to waste your time and all." He kept his eyes on Chad, he didn’t miss the little mummers behind him though, he paid them no mind.       

Chad seemed to be thinking, waging the pros and cons when he smiled, "Sure." 

 

* * *

 

Fast-forward to the next week and Gavin was practically bouncing out of his seat, spilling everything to Michael and Lindsay as they played Mario Cart. For once Michael didn’t interrupt him or make a snippy comment, but he listened and Gavin was grateful, it was like the floodgates of feelings had been opened the moment he got to their place and he spilled his guts to them. Telling them about everything from his friendship with Meg and Ashley to his infatuation with their friend Ryan – even though Gavin was warming up to the idea of them being friends and not just well-acquainted acquaintances – and their dance instructor, Chad and not wanting to pick between them, but date them both. And the lovely idea Meg had of him using his camera skills to filming the classes as they danced. 

"And oh, Michael, you guys would love it! I hope when you two join us next year! You'll let me film you, too, right?!"    

When he was done talking he heaved a sigh and melted into their couch. What a weight that had been lifted. 

Sensing that Gavin was done Lindsay turned to face him better. 

"I'm glad you've expanded your inner circle. Also, we'd love to be moving models for you, Gav. Isn't that right Michael!" 

From the look on his face he didn’t look too happy about it, but Gavin saw his lips twitching, he wanted to smile, but he wouldn’t let that happen, Gavin knew. 

"Oh! And good luck with the whole dating two people thing, I'm sure you'll figure something out that works out and makes everyone happy!"

**Author's Note:**

> And the songs+videos! (all the dancers in the videos are amazing!)  
> [Dessert](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oe6ACKMyF7I)  
> [Feel It Still (Lido Remix)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwVURVk_5MY)
> 
> There are a lot more videos that I'd love to link but these two are the most important for this story! 
> 
> ♡Comments are appreciated!♡


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